Now serving coffee!
There were several photographs of the shop, both interior and exterior. Her hours were listed in the top right corner, along with the shop’s phone number. There was a (currently nonfunctional) tab for online ordering.
“I haven’t had a chance to upload our inventory yet,” Gwen muttered, dragging her cursor around the page with the trackpad. “But eventually people will be able to add items to their cart, purchase with a few simple clicks, andvoilà! We’ll ship them out the next business day. I think it’ll give us a huge spike in sales!”
“Do you really need a sales spike?” I asked wryly. “Based on the past two days working here, you can barely keep up with the current demand. I’m surprised you’re eager to add more.”
Gwen waved away my concerns. “This is high season. Halloween is the busiest weekend of the year. In two days, when all the tourists go back home, you’ll see what the city is actually like most of the time. Granted, we still do a fair amount of business… but nothing like your first few shifts. It can actually get a bit boring sometimes.”
Boring would be a welcome change of pace.
“I think it’s fab, Gwennie.” Florence sipped her latte. “First stop, online orders. Next stop, world domination.”
“Wait! I forgot to show you the best part.” Gwen grinned excitedly as she navigated to the header bar and clicked theABOUT UStab. A new page popped up, the top half of which was dominated by a large headshot of Gwen. She was smiling directly at the camera, head tilted slightly to one side, eyes twinkling with laughter.
It was a great photo.
“Hey! I took that!” Florence elbowed Gwen in the side. “Do I get a commission?”
“How about… You get dibs on the first velvet witch robe when I get them in stock. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Gwen scrolled down slightly. The wordsGWENDOLYN GOODE, PROPRIETORwere displayed in bold letters under her picture. A short bio accompanied it. I only managed to read a few snippets about her upbringing before she flicked her fingers on the track pad again, scrolling down to another photograph.
My mouth dropped open.
“Ta-da!” Gwen looked over the moon with excitement. “Isn’t it great?”
It wasn’t.
Not even a little bit.
I stared in horror at the screen. More specifically, at the photograph on the bottom half of the screen. A photograph ofme. Judging by my outfit, it had been taken on my first day of work, but I had no idea when Gwen snapped it. It was a candid shot. I was standing in front of the green curtains of the reading room. My tarot cards were in my hand. My face was averted in profile as something out of frame made me smile. (Sally, most likely.)
“That’s a great picture of you,” Flo said, bringing her face closer to the screen. “You look like Rapunzel. Look at your hair! There’s somuchof it! Does it curl like that naturally, or do you spend seven hours in front of the bathroom mirror every morning?”
I was still incapable of speech. My brain seemed to have short-circuited. I read the description beneath the photo, barely able to process the words.
IMOGEN WARNER, IN-HOUSE PSYCHIC
“I didn’t know what to put for your bio, since I don’t know all that much about you.” Gwen’s voice was apologetic. “But we can always add more later?—”
“Take it down,” I whispered, finally finding my powers of speech.
“What?” Gwen’s face whipped around to look at me. “What do you mean, take it down?”
I swallowed hard.
Tell me this isn’t happening.
“I know you say you’re leaving soon,” Gwen carried on, oblivious to my freak-out. “But while you’re here, there’s no reason not to advertise your services?—”
“Take. It.Down,” I repeated, still whispering. “Right now.”
She still didn’t seem to understand. She shook her head, smiling softly. “Don’t be modest, there are so many people who would love to?—”
“TAKE IT DOWN!” I shrieked, sounding like a horribly distorted version of myself. I jumped to my feet so fast I nearly knocked Florence off the arm of the sofa. Socks was startled out of his puppy-slumber. “I mean it, Gwen!”